​THE ​BREEZE FARM INCUBATOR

​Nurturing Positive Change in Agriculture and Local Economies

Farmers need to make more money. Consumers want better food, a cleaner environment, and an economy that works for them. More and more young people want a more sustainable world, both ecologically and economically. These are the essential ingredients that have fueled the local food movement.

The existing agricultural system, due to a high concentration of ownership in the various sectors that supply, process, distribute, and sell the food we eat, produces far too little income for our farmers, at least in the Piedmont region of central North Carolina. There is a growing number of young people who want to farm, just not the way the previous generation did -- no wonder the average age of US farmers is 59 years old. By and large, young aspiring farmers do not want to use man-made chemicals to grow food or control insects and disease. These young aspiring farmers are in tune with the needs of the market and are willing to listen to the needs of their customers and provide them what they want. A significant benefit of this direct relationship between consumers and farmers is a huge increase in the amount of income that can be made per acre, which is significant because the more profit made per acre means that much more money coming back into the rural communities where those farmers reside.

All of this sounds great, right? The only problem is that most of the young people interested in this kind of farming do not have access or can afford the land, infrastructure, and equipment they need to become farmers. That's where farm incubator programs, like the Breeze Farm Incubator and the PLANT@Breeze educational series, can provide a helping hand. The farmland, generously donated to NC State University by Col. William C. Breeze is a significant resource for the Breeze Farm Incubator program, but many other resources to support aspiring farmers is needed. Fruit and vegetable production requires water and irrigation systems, fencing to keep wildlife from eating their crops, tractors and farm equipment to prepare, cultivate, and harvest their crops, greenhouses to grow their transplants, wash stations and coolers to prepare and store their products for market, and storage buildings in which to keep supplies, tools, and equipment.

This program needs support in order to grow. Please consider buying from our past and present farmers, volunteer to help us raise funds to carry on this program, and lastly, consider donating money to this worthy program in order to have better food, a better environment, and a better local economy. Use the buttons above to become part of the Breeze Farm Incubator and PLANT@Breeze educational programming team, by donating your time as a member of Friends of Breeze Farm or donating money to help provide for the needs of this program so that it can continue to grow and produce more young farmers in the years ahead.

--- J. Michael Lanier

NC State University and N.C. A&T State University work in tandem, along with federal, state and local governments, to form a strategic partnership called N.C. Cooperative Extension, which staffs local offices in all 100 counties and with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

NC State University and N.C. A&T State University are collectively committed to positive action to secure equal opportunity and prohibit discrimination and harassment regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, political beliefs, family and marital status, sex, age, veteran status, sexual identity, sexual orientation, genetic information, or disability..